# Stretch Marks



## freetshirt (Aug 19, 2004)

I've heard that you can eliminate(or decrease) stretch marks by rubbing cocoa butter on the areas. First of all, is this true? And also if so where can you buy cocoa butter? Or does anyone else have solutions for it?


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## Haloinrverse (Aug 19, 2004)

welcome to MuT!






cocoa butter _might_ kind of sort of maybe do something to prevent stretch marks, but it wont do anything at all to fade them. theyre pretty much a rip in the skin. time will fade them from red and raised to white or flesh colored and flush with the skin. the only thing that will get rid of them is laser treatments. nothing you rub on will mend the skin again.

you can get cocoa butter lotions at the grocery/drug store. palmers cocoa butter formula with vitamin e lotion smells really nice (vaguely chocolatey in a natural way.)


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## Californian (Aug 19, 2004)

Originally Posted by *haloinrverse* welcome to MuT!




cocoa butter _might_ kind of sort of maybe do something to prevent stretch marks, but it wont do anything at all to fade them. theyre pretty much a rip in the skin. time will fade them from red and raised to white or flesh colored and flush with the skin. the only thing that will get rid of them is laser treatments. nothing you rub on will mend the skin again.

you can get cocoa butter lotions at the grocery/drug store. palmers cocoa butter formula with vitamin e lotion smells really nice (vaguely chocolatey in a natural way.)













This is just a reaffirmation of what Halo said above. Here's info. from a doctor regarding stretch marks:

I'M VERY SELF-CONSCIOUS ABOUT THEM. HAS ANYONE OUT THERE HEARD OF ANY METHODS TO PERMANENTLY GET RID OF STRETCH MARKS? IF SO, PLEASE E-mail ME.

*Dr. Bermant comments:*

This should not be construed as medical advice. I am a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

STRIAE are the result of your skin collagen breaking down under the stress of extra weight or a stretching mass (ie pregnancy). Early on they are red. In this phase they will try to heal (become white). *Most scars do better when massaged with a lubricant like cocoa butter. They can thus fade a little. Once the scars have matured they cannot be removed* except by cutting them out. This leaves an unacceptable scar and therefore is not done. Laser treatment can help with fine wrinkles. *I have never read nor seen any studies claiming that they will work on stretch marks. BE WARY!* Make the doctor who is making the claim prove it not only to you, but the rest of the medical profession! The best way to minimize stretch marks is not to damage the skin in the first place. There is no good alternative for pregnancy but gaining extra unneeded weight is a reasonable goal. Once you have the marks, camouflage is a reasonable choice. Clothing and special concealing makeup are effective. Stretch makrs look worse in loose skin. If you skin needs tightening, like with a body lift or butt lift, it may look better after surgery. The stretch marks will still be there, but often they are less crepy.

Michael Bermant, MD

*Q:* _I heard that cocoa butter helps make stretch marks fade faster, despite the smell of coconut s every were._

*Dr. Bermant comments:*

*It is not the cocoa butter but the massaging itself that seems to help with the stretch marks. I recommend that my patients massage many of their scars with cocoa butter to hasten the maturation.* Pressure therapy has helped some scars, but not the stretch marks.

Michael Bermant, MD


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## Haloinrverse (Aug 19, 2004)

huh. ive always read that stretch marks can be diminished with laser treatment. they dont remove them, but they help them fade. i should have phrased that better.








*Is laser surgery an answer to stretch marks?*

&lt;/FONT&gt;



Laser surgery is currently being developed for the treatment of stretch marks. However, these treatments don't remove stretch marks - they simply make them fade. The laser responds to dark colours only, so laser treatment is likely to be most effective in the early stages, when stretch marks are dark red or brown. However, a series of treatments might be required for visible results. Faded, flesh-coloured marks will probably not respond to laser treatment since they won't be easily detected.


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## Pauline (Aug 21, 2004)

Laser treatment is helpful for the stretch marks that are still red (with a blood supply) but they wont do anything for faded silver stretch marks. There is an oil called BIO OIL which has been getting some amazing reviews and results from stretch marks to scarring.


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## Geek (Aug 21, 2004)

From a Man's point, stretch marks are a sign that you usually have had children. Being a mom is a large turn on for allot of men, including myself. Just knowing they are a bit tougher and know how to deal w/ kids' situations on a 24/7 basis, makes it quite nice in a man's eyes. Just like women during pregnancy, now that is SUPER cool. Women just just soo different when they are preggers....love it!!! Now, some have stretchmarks from being fat. This there is no excuse for.....





Originally Posted by *candy* 

Laser treatment is helpful for the stretch marks that are still red (with a blood supply) but they wont do anything for faded silver stretch marks. There is an oil called BIO OIL which has been getting some amazing reviews and results from stretch marks to scarring.


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## Californian (Aug 22, 2004)

Originally Posted by *Tony(admin)* From a Man's point, stretch marks are a sign that you usually have had children. Being a mom is a large turn on for allot of men, including myself. Just knowing they are a bit tougher and know how to deal w/ kids' situations on a 24/7 basis, makes it quite nice in a man's eyes. Just like women during pregnancy, now that is SUPER cool. Women just just soo different when they are preggers....love it!!!
Now, some have stretchmarks from being fat. This there is no excuse for.....

*Did you know that TOny has stretch marks on his hips from giving birth to MuT? Yup! He loves it!






*


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## blackangel (Aug 22, 2004)

Decleor Tonilastil stretch mark concentrate (oil) and cream worked extremely well at smoothing out the surface of my stomach, so that the stretchmarks are not ripply. I dont think I can derive anymore progress of those products because my skin is very smooth so now I move onto phase 2. LOL working on the actual marks. Im doing BHA 8% in the morning and Copper peptide serum at night. Copper is supposed to encourage skin regeneration....we'll see!


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## donnamaryuk (Aug 23, 2004)

I didnt get any stretch marks apart from at the side of my tum. The best thing i have heard to use is Palmers cocoa butter. My friends swear by it and its made in the usa. Smells yummy too.


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## sapphirelady (Sep 4, 2004)

I know no one wants to hear this and I wish it were not true, but there is no way to get rid of stretch marks once they turn white. Excercise and hydration helps the look of them as does self-tanner. If they are new marks, (still red ) application of a certain type of laser from a plastic surgeon can significantly lessen the marks. I've been doing research on this subject for years hoping to find a solution. HTH


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## Geek (Sep 4, 2004)

Hi Saphire Lady! Just wanted to welcome you to MakeupTalk









Originally Posted by *sapphirelady* 

I know no one wants to hear this and I wish it were not true, but there is no way to get rid of stretch marks once they turn white. Excercise and hydration helps the look of them as does self-tanner. If they are new marks, (still red ) application of a certain type of laser from a plastic surgeon can significantly lessen the marks. I've been doing research on this subject for years hoping to find a solution. HTH


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## sapphirelady (Sep 5, 2004)

Thank's!! Happy to be here among the other beauty junkies - no 12 step program for me!!


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## Geek2 (Sep 7, 2004)

I'm going to try the Galenic Elancyl stretch mark cream I got on sale from strawberrynet.com. I'll let you know if it works. I tried the Galenic line years ago when I still lived in Europe for my cellulite and the product worked pretty well.


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## donnamaryuk (Sep 7, 2004)

Are you from Finland Reija ?


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## Geek2 (Sep 7, 2004)

Yep I'm from Finland.



When I still lived in Finland, I traveled to London with my parents and that was a great trip. I'd love to go back someday to London and see some other places too.


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## tazmania83sg (Nov 21, 2007)

Good News!! I had body building stretch marks and my wife had pregnancy stretch marks. We used this product Discover Stretch Mark Treatment and Pregnancy Stretch Marks here. and it worked. I have tried so many products and treatments but none really worked. Believe me, this is not marketing talk, I genuinely want to share this information with you guys. I won't make a cent out of this. They have very limited production and eventhough I cannot vouch whether it will work for every single person, it is definitely worth a try. Very reasonable pricing. Best thing, its 30 days money back guarantee!


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## aprilpgb22 (Nov 21, 2007)

I have a 8 year old and i still have the stretch marks, cocoa butter didn't work for me post baby, it may work for some before the baby. I didn't use it like i should when i was pregnant.


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## Pomander_ (Jan 18, 2008)

Is it possible to get stretch marks from just having extremely dry skin? Because I have had some pretty nasty ones on the inside of my right thigh since around this summer, and I really can't figure out why I got them. If I grew it was only about an inch, and I did gain a little weight but not a drastic amount. I didn't notice a big difference in the, um, fattiness of my thighs, all i noticed was the stretch marks.

It's really strange...


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## mormich (Jan 18, 2008)

cocoa butter supposedly will help prevent stretch marks but not diminish them


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## diwucy (Jan 20, 2008)

is there a product that works on stretch marks after they're no longer red?


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## LittleMissLilo (Jan 20, 2008)

Besides all that, Lush cosmetics carries a massage bar. I believe its called Therapy. One of my friends mom had surgery and my other friends cousin was pregnant. Both had unbelievable stretch marks and went out and bought the massage bar. They rubbed it on themselves every night and it has natural ingredients. Within like two weeks their stretch marks and scars disappeared! It was unbelievable. Maybe you could give that a try!


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## MyMaria (Feb 22, 2008)

Has any tried Rosehip oil? I saw an ad on TV about it... and it works for stretch marks! But you know how ads are...


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## Sexii_mami2fine (Feb 22, 2008)

i'll definatly try cocoa butter.. never knew it might prevent stretch marks


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## nyanchu (Feb 22, 2008)

yeah, ive heard anything thats moisturizing works well to prevent stretch marks. not diminish em tho...

but i would:

1, gently scrub the area (exfoliate dead cells and encourage skin/cell turnover)

2, oil massage (increases blood flow)

3, slap on some good moisturizer!


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## magosienne (Feb 22, 2008)

i've heard moisturizing does a good job at preventing stretch marks. i know nothing of making them diminish or disappear once they're here.


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## Fatimah (Feb 23, 2008)

I agree with nyanchu's post. Exfoliate weekly, moisturize daily, and go for weekly-monthly massages! They won't go away completely, but it fades them and helps to smooth them out so they blend in better with the surrounding skin. I got stretchmarks from being overweight as a teen, I'm at a healthy weight now and have no flab, it's just the stretchmarks (they're white silvery lines)...I don't care much for them now, plus they have softened drastically in appearance over the years since my weight loss....I try to look on the bright side, I have even-toned, baby smooth body skin stretch marks aside (yes I have lots of them!), so I'm quite happy with myself and am just trying my best to be thankful...I do feel self-concious at times, but then I remind myself that nobody's perfect, if it's not stretchmarks it's always something else, spider veins, acne, scars, rough skin etc...that's the way it is with us women. Just remember to take care of yourself, your skin, and pamper yourself often...you'll love the results. As far as I know there is no treatment to completely get rid of stretchmarks and I'm not one to trust in horribly expensive potions that end up being nothing more than an overpriced moisturizer...but daily moisturizing and massaging the areas (with whatever cream or lotion you want) will definately help in softening their appearance so that they are less noticeable. Btw, guys usually don't care...they tend to look at the whole package in a girl rather than nit picking on certain flaws, so accentuate the best of your assets and play down your minor flaws, the whole package of being a woman is beautiful!

sorry for that...I got a little carried away *blushes*


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## xxlucylou84xx (Feb 23, 2008)

cocoa butter only helps prevent them as long as you rub some on every day but it wont help get rid of them.


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## LovelyLili (Feb 27, 2008)

Originally Posted by *Fatimah* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree with nyanchu's post. Exfoliate weekly, moisturize daily, and go for weekly-monthly massages! They won't go away completely, but it fades them and helps to smooth them out so they blend in better with the surrounding skin. I got stretchmarks from being overweight as a teen, I'm at a healthy weight now and have no flab, it's just the stretchmarks (they're white silvery lines)...I don't care much for them now, plus they have softened drastically in appearance over the years since my weight loss....I try to look on the bright side, I have even-toned, baby smooth body skin stretch marks aside (yes I have lots of them!), so I'm quite happy with myself and am just trying my best to be thankful...I do feel self-concious at times, but then I remind myself that nobody's perfect, if it's not stretchmarks it's always something else, spider veins, acne, scars, rough skin etc...that's the way it is with us women. Just remember to take care of yourself, your skin, and pamper yourself often...you'll love the results. As far as I know there is no treatment to completely get rid of stretchmarks and I'm not one to trust in horribly expensive potions that end up being nothing more than an overpriced moisturizer...but daily moisturizing and massaging the areas (with whatever cream or lotion you want) will definately help in softening their appearance so that they are less noticeable. Btw, guys usually don't care...they tend to look at the whole package in a girl rather than nit picking on certain flaws, so accentuate the best of your assets and play down your minor flaws, the whole package of being a woman is beautiful!
sorry for that...I got a little carried away *blushes*

Beautifully said Fatimah!! Congratulations on your healthy journey!!


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## JennBee (Feb 28, 2008)

Agreed that there is no total cure or anything, BUT, has anyone else bought or tried this method yet?

Jean's Skin Care - Home Stretch Mark Removal Remedy

It's a home-made exfoliation method - with ingredients you can get cheap at the drug store - to copy the effects of microdermabrasion and drastically reduce stretch marks. It really helped on my arms, and I haven't had the time to faithfully start up and stick to it on the other parts of my body (need to lose more weight first, I'm healthy but not toned



), but I really like this one. It's the most effective method I've seen yet. and I've tried eeeverything. (I have the worst skin elasticity ever; I'm at a healthy weight now, but with any weight gain whatsoever my skin stretches and scars.)

You buy the e-book alone for $15, or the e-book with the products included (not that they're hard to find at all) for $37. It's also a great remedy for cellulite.



And she offers a full 90-day money-back guarantee.

It's not some big scammer company, either; it's one woman who runs a small business for natural skin remedies and solutions. She's very sweet and helpful, too.

Maybe something to consider if you're still desperate, ladies!


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## carnivalbaby (Mar 9, 2008)

I've been using black soap and cocoa butter on and off for a while now. I'll try to use them more consistently and post my results. Basically, at night though, I exfoliate with black soap in the shower then massage with cocoa butter afterwards.


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## speerrituall1 (Mar 9, 2008)

It has always been my understanding that 100% pure cocoa butter should be used as a moisturiser to lubricate the skin and *help prevent* the marks from occurring. Over the years I've heard people state they use it to *remove* the marks and never believed it because stretch marks are damaged tissue. Cosmetics companies have made many a $$ off of this belief!


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## Pomander_ (Mar 10, 2008)

I've heard that once the skin tears, stretch marks can spread, getting longer and deeper. Is this true? and if so, how can I stop my (now small) stretch marks from getting worse??


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## warpaintress (Mar 11, 2008)

I haven't heard of dryness alone causing stretch marks, not without some weight gain/loss. It could be that if you were not hydrating well and gained weight, or height, that the skin would be stretched more rapidly without the elasticity from moisture to ease the stretching. Or, you could have gotten these when you were going through a teen growth spurt and because of their location you just didn't notice them before.

Once a stretch mark has gone white there is nothing you can do for it short of laser, and I don't recommend that either. I've seen a few cases where the effects of the laser were uglier than the stretch marks had been, and personally I don't think it's worth the risk for something so minor. Like Tony said, guys really just don't care about them. There area lot of creams out there that claim to reverse them, but I didn't start trying any until mine were already old, so no luck there for me. By the way, Strivectin, the market leader in this catagory which is also used on the face to fight aging, burned the heck out of my face and didn't work on my old stretch marks. I have heard some women rave about it working on red stretch marks though. I just self tan over them, and that helps to minimize their appearance.

The best thing you can do is prevent them in the first place. Use a deep hydrator, like Bag Balm, the Cocoa Butter from the Body Shop or vitamin E oil often during pregnancy, weight gain or weight loss. Any time you feel itchy, rub it in, as scratching will irritate the skin and some derms say scratching will accelerate stretch marks. Deep hydration will make the skin more supple, allowing it to expand and retract easier and preventing skin tears (stretch marks).

Unfortunately, a lot of what determines whether you'll get stretch marks or not is your genetics. If your mother has them, chances are you will too. I have fewer than my mom, but I did a lot of deep hydration and she didn't, which could have helped to prevent me from getting as many as she did.


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## missjade (Jun 25, 2008)

Originally Posted by *Fatimah* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree with nyanchu's post. Exfoliate weekly, moisturize daily, and go for weekly-monthly massages! They won't go away completely, but it fades them and helps to smooth them out so they blend in better with the surrounding skin. I got stretchmarks from being overweight as a teen, I'm at a healthy weight now and have no flab, it's just the stretchmarks (they're white silvery lines)...I don't care much for them now, plus they have softened drastically in appearance over the years since my weight loss....I try to look on the bright side, I have even-toned, baby smooth body skin stretch marks aside (yes I have lots of them!), so I'm quite happy with myself and am just trying my best to be thankful...I do feel self-concious at times, but then I remind myself that nobody's perfect, if it's not stretchmarks it's always something else, spider veins, acne, scars, rough skin etc...that's the way it is with us women. Just remember to take care of yourself, your skin, and pamper yourself often...you'll love the results. As far as I know there is no treatment to completely get rid of stretchmarks and I'm not one to trust in horribly expensive potions that end up being nothing more than an overpriced moisturizer...but daily moisturizing and massaging the areas (with whatever cream or lotion you want) will definately help in softening their appearance so that they are less noticeable. Btw, guys usually don't care...they tend to look at the whole package in a girl rather than nit picking on certain flaws, so accentuate the best of your assets and play down your minor flaws, the whole package of being a woman is beautiful!
sorry for that...I got a little carried away *blushes*


well arnt u a wise woman with such words! girls, stretchmarks are awful, but u know what, we're all beautiful in our own way...so lets cherish what we have xxxxxxx


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